We're starting a list of BJ type blogs

By Harry Liggett (I really need a byline for this post)
When I retired in March 1995 I started keeping a list of email addresses of former and
retired BJ types so I could let others know what is happening to that old gang. I started this blog in July, 2004 and tried to explain what a blog was. Now it appears I may have to start keeping a list of all the blogs..

There are at least five BJ types who have blogs. The latest is Tom Moore who once had a website but closed it.. And the blogs are getting like email addresses.. Beth Hertz once had one for Bowling Green alumni on blogspot, but blogger says that blog address is now available or shut down. Geoff Gevalt had a blog for a while and then quit but has added it again as part of the website for his Young Writers Project mentioned in previous blog posts.

Well here’s the start of my list::

Tom Moore: “Old newsmen never retire, they just write away” January 2009

http://oldnewsmenneverdietheyjustwriteaway.blogspot.com/

David Hertz: “Inner View” January 2009

http://www.dix-eaton.com/blogs/mediainnerview/

Bob DeMay: “ONPA” a blog for Ohio Newspaper Photographers Association November 2008

http://onpanews.blogspot.com/

Abe Zaidan: “Grumpy Abe” a blog about politics August 2008

http://grumpyabe.blogspot.com/

Geoff Gevalt: "Young Writers Project" Geoff writing blog as part of this website.

http://youngwritersproject.org/Geoffblog/?p=47

Moore, a former news editor, and Zaidan, political columnist, are both retired. David Hertz, former BJ business editor et. al. now with DIix & Eaton in Cleveland, and Bob Decay (God bless him) still at the BJ as photo and Guild ,honcho.

This blog began as “BJ Retirees’ in July, 2004. Our website was established in September, 2006,. The name of the blog and website was changed to BJ Alums on October 14, 2008 to better reflect our viewers. We get 150 or so viewers a day. Our 100,000th visitor was on October 31, 2008. We are getting close to our 2,000th article posted on the Blogs. This is No. 1912..

Weather report for homesick viewers

For viewers homesick for Akron, here are some notes courtesy of a Beacon Journal story today by Bob Downing:

The Akron-Canton area has already gotten 44.8 inches of snow this winter. Normal snowfall is 26.2 inches. The 8.6 inches of of snow this week was the biggest snow of January in Akron-Canton. Through Friday there has been at least a trace of snow on 24 of the 20 days so far. The average temperature has been 16 degrees, nine below normal. In 1932 Akron recorded only a trace of snow all month.

Top 10 snowiest Januaries recorded at Akron-Canton airport:

1978...... 37.5 inches
2009.......28.6 inches
1999.......24.3 inches
1994.......23.5 inches
1904.......22 inches
1979.......21.9 incches
1914.......21.4 inches
1976.......25.1 inches
1919.......21 inches
1985,,,,,,,,20.9 inches

LA Times to cut 70 newsroom employees

The Los Angles Times will cut 70 newsroom employees, about 11 per cent of the staff. Here’s the memo to the staff from editor Russ Stanton:

Colleagues:

As you saw from Eddy's note, the tough economy is causing the company to implement another round of job cuts, including in the newsroom. In the coming weeks, the number of jobs across Editorial will be reduced by 70 positions, or 11%. As part of this move, we will be putting into place the final pieces of the newsroom reorganization that we began last year. This includes reclassifying jobs, reconfiguring desks, revamping our workflow and exploring new topic teams. The goal remains to operate a 24/7 newsgathering operation that delivers information to Southern California residents in any medium they consume it.

Other departments at The Times will be undertaking similar cost-saving measures, some more painful than the ones we will experience. We are all too familiar with this process, but over the past year in particular, we have come through each of these downsizings and continued to produce some of the highest-quality journalism in our industry. We simply don't know how to do otherwise.

John, Davan, Meredith and I, as well as your section editors and department heads, are available to answer your questions. We remain commited to providing our readers with an excellent general-interest newspaper and website with top-notch local, national, foreign, business, sports, feature and entertainment reporting.

The future is now: A report from 1981

“Engineers now predict the day will come when we get all our newspapers and magazines by home computer," the narrator says with a hint of sarcasm, continuing, "but that's a few years off." Indeed.

The piece from 1981 is about the earliest days of digital media, when the lucky few home computer users could view content from a handful of prominent papers on their "television screens" by dialing into their CompuServe Information Service with their rotary phones.

It's interesting to see how many people involved in the project had a resolutely realistic take on the whole thing, assuming, despite how clunky current technologies were, that digital media was the unavoidable future—a sentiment that has since lost favor in newsrooms, now that it's actually coming to pass.

Click on the headline to listen to a viedo of the 1981 report

Thanks to Jim Kavanagh (BJ copy desk chief now at CNN} for sending us the link.

3 ad managers laid off at BJ

Three Beacon Journal advertising managers have been laid off. They are
Lisa Miree-Luke: Recruitment
Laura Rolph: Marketing Research
William Goddard: Sales Manager

Supporters rally for Rocky Mountain News

Supporters of the Rocky Mountain News plan to hold a candlelight rally for Colorado's oldest newspaper.

The E.W. Scripps Co., which owns the News, has said it may close the newspaper if a buyer can't be found. That would leave The Denver Post as the last major newspaper in the city.

On Thursday evening, the group I Want My Rocky plans to have 150 marchers meet at the Denver Press Club and head single-file to the building that houses both newspapers. They will ring the building, with each marcher holding a candle and placard to represent one year of the newspaper's 150-year history.

Scripps hasn't said how many offers it has received for the News or when it might make a decision on its future.

Rosenberg seeks state court settlement

Rosenberg drops all but one claim
against PD and his editor

Cleveland Plain Dealer
Donald Rosenberg's amended complaint eliminates claims that the Plain Dealer defamed him, breached public policy and broke promises he had relied on. Instead, the former music critic's only remaining claim is that his reassignment to cover dance, arts and entertainment was an act of age discrimination. This was done so the case would be tried in state rather than federal court.

Cub Scouts thank, honor Watson Blanton

Watson Blanton (seated at left) gets a salute from Cub Scouts

Beacon Journal staff writer Jim Carney tells how a half-dozen Cub Scouts said thank you this month to retired BJ engraver Watson Blanton, a decorated Navy veteran from World War II..

In a patriotic ceremony of kindness and respect, the Webelos den from Pack 3075 in Akron, in full uniforms, marched single file up the steep steps leading to Blanton's home on a snowy Saturday.

Inside the house, the 9- and 10-year-old boys stood at attention around the 87-year-old Navy veteran, who was wounded from shrapnel during World War II in the South Pacific. The boys thanked him for his service to America.

The ceremony was one requirement for a citizen activity badge for the Scouts.

Webelos are the oldest Cubs before becoming Boy Scouts.

Blanton, a Florida native, was a fire-control sailor in the Navy. His job was to aim guns at the enemy.

He served from 1942 to 1948 and was on the destroyer USS Tingey during the war.

The Scouts and their den leaders read copies of Blanton's six-page memoir, My Naval Career, and all had questions for the retired photo engraver, who worked at the Beacon Journal for 22 years.

''I give thanks and praise to Almighty God for hearing and answering the intercessory prayers on my behalf by my parents, family and friends while I was in harm's way,'' he wrote in his memoir. ''In spite of all the dangers and hardships that I encountered, I enjoyed my tour of duty with the U.S. Navy and am proud of my service to my country.''

Seeing a living member of the Greatest Generation and hearing his story impressed the boys.

'Den Leader Phil Schuchter, 48, of Akron, a FirstEnergy engineer, said it is important to let veterans like Blanton know that what they did during the war was important.

''We need stuff like this to honor our elders,'' he said.

Click on the headline to read Carney’s story published on the Community Sectioon front in the Wednesday (January 28) Beacon Journal

NY Times 4Q profit off 48 percent

NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Times Co. said Wednesday that fourth-quarter earnings plunged 48 percent and online sales fell for the first time as the recession depressed spending by advertisers. The results still beat analyst estimates, and its shares rose more than 7 percent.

The Times also announced it has retained investment firm Goldman Sachs to help explore a sale of its 17.8 percent stake in New England Sports Ventures, which owns the Boston Red Sox baseball team, Fenway Park, a portion of a cable sports network and other properties.

The company, which publishes the Times, The Boston Globe, the International Herald Tribune and 16 other daily newspapers, earned $27.65 million, or 19 cents a share, in the October-December period, compared with $53 million, or 37 cents per share, in the same quarter of 2007.

Excluding various one-time charges, earnings totaled 36 cents a share, above the 27 cents per share that analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected.

Its shares rose 42 cents, or 7.5 percent, to $6.02 in morning trading.

Revenue totaled $772.1 million in the fourth quarter, slightly above expectations of $767.5 million but 11 percent below the $865.8 million in the year-ago period.

Click on the headline to read the full Associated Press story

McClatchy to quit paying dividends.

The McClatchy Co. said today it would suspend paying shareholder dividends after April 1.

The Bee's publisher said it would make its last quarter dividend payment April 1 and then suspend the payouts "for the foreseeable future in order to preserve cash for debt repayment."

McClatchy cut the dividend in half last fall, to 9 cents a share. Then, pressed by declining revenue, it renegotiated its bank loans. Under the new agreement, the Sacramento-based chain was forbidden from paying dividends if its "leverage ratio" exceeded a certain threshold.

The ratio compares debts to profitability, and as McClatchy's profits have fallen, the ratio has risen. It's possible the company could exceed the threshold Feb. 5, when fourth-quarter earnings are reported.

"We are not waiting to see that," said Treasurer Elaine Lintecum, explaining the decision to halt future dividend payments. "We think ... it's important to focus on future cash flow and debt repayment."

McClatchy stock closed Tuesday at 85 cents a share, up 2 cents, on the New York Stock Exchange.

---

BJ publisher makes E&P blog

The Beacon Journal publisher today made headlines in one of the Editor & Publisher blogs which also used the famous BJ front page on the sale by McClatchy to Black Press Lfd. The blog called Fitz & Jen is written by editor at large Mark Fitzgerald in Chicago and associate editor Jennifer Saba in New York.


S&P Downgrades ‘Akron Beacon Journal’ Publisher Deeper Into Junk On Debt

Add Black Press Ltd. to the list of newspaper companies who are now hurting because they “won” in bidding for former Knight Ridder papers.

British Columbia-based Black Press -- no relation to imprisoned former Canadian newspaper mogul Conrad Black -- bought the Akron Beacon Journal in 2006 when The McClatchy Co. unloaded a dozen dailies after acquiring Knight Ridder.

Now Standard & Poor's Ratings Services is citing the debt taken on to swing that deal as part of reason it downgraded Black Press corporate credit rating to B from B+. The downgrading pushes the publisher deeper into junk territory.

S&P also took Black Press’ senior secured debt two notches down to B from 'BB-', and lowered its “recovery ratings” for the company and its subsidiary to 3 from 2. The higher number reflects S&P’s view that creditors can now expect to recover between 50% and 70% of their investment in the event of a payment default, down from the 70% to 90% recovery suggested by the 2 rating.

"The downgrade reflects our view of Black Press' weakened credit protection measures and reduced financial flexibility stemming from lower EBITDA and higher debt levels," Toronto-based S&P credit analyst Lori Harris said in a note.“Furthermore, we believe the impact of lower profitability and higher debt levels has resulted in the tightening of financial covenants. While management is taking steps to strengthen its operations and liquidity position, we believe that Black Press will remain challenged in fiscal 2010, largely because of difficult industry conditions.”

Black’s biggest problems are in the United States, with its Canadian community newspaper providing at least a temporary cushion against the industry weakness, S&P said.

French government to aid newspapers

PARIS (AP) — The French state will help provide free newspaper subscriptions to teenagers for their 18th birthdays, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced Friday. But the bigger gift is for France's ailing print media.

Sarkozy also announced a ninefold rise in the state's support for newspaper deliveries and a doubling of its annual print advertising outlay amid a swelling industry crisis.

Sarkozy argued in a speech to publishers that the measures are needed because the global financial crisis has compounded woes for a sector already suffering from falling ad revenues and subscriptions.

In a speech to industry leaders, Sarkozy said it was legitimate for the state to consider the print media's economic situation.

"It is indeed its responsibility ... to make sure an independent, free and pluralistic press exists," he said.

This is sensitive territory for Sarkozy, who has been accused of cozying up to media moguls and exerting influence over them. He is also no stranger to heavy criticism in the country's often opinionated newspapers.

In measures to take effect next month, the state will increase its annual support for newspaper and magazine deliveries to euro70 million ($90 million) from euro8 million last year, and spend euro20 million more a year for its advertisements in print publications. The state will also defer some fees the publications face.

[Source: :Larry Froelich called our attention to this AP story. Click on the headline to read a little more of the story.]]

Pope channel makes debut on YouTube

VATICAN CITY (CNA).- Pope Benedict XVI launched himself into the digital age today with the Vatican announcing that a YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/vatican dedicated to his activities and events at the Vatican is now online.

The Vatican’s announcement of its new partnership with Google’s YouTube coincides with the release of the Pope’s annual message for the World Day of Communications, which this year focuses on how to utilize new technologies to promote a culture of respect, dialogue and friendship.

Fr. Federico Lombardi, the director of the Holy See’s press office, described the Vatican’s YouTube Channel at a press conference Friday.

Currently, the Channel contains clips of Pope Benedict XVI delivering his Christmas Message and Blessing, the January 1 celebration of the World Peace Day and some segments of the Pope speaking about the advantages of new social technology. The footage for the clips is being provided by the Vatican Television Center (CTV) in conjunction with journalists and the web team of Vatican Radio (RV).

According to Fr. Lombardi, the new channel will be updated daily with one or two news pieces each day, none longer than two minutes.
[Source: Catholic News Agency]

Blog Note: Tomorrow is the feast day of St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622), the patron saint of the Catholic Press. He wrote many pamphlets in addition to his books, “Introduction to the Devout Life” and “A Treatise on the Love of God.”

Access issues concern those covering Obama

NEW YORK (AP) — News organizations that cover the White House sparred with the Obama administration on Thursday over access issues for photographers and rules for briefings.

Representatives from Obama's press office held a conference call with photo editors, who are concerned that the administration prefers distributing photos taken by a White House photographer in cases where photojournalists have been permitted access in the past. It was unclear whether the two sides had reached any accommodation.

The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse refused to distribute photos taken by the White House of the new president on his first day in the Oval Office because of the dispute. Still photographers were also not given access to Obama's do-over oath of office administered Wednesday night by Chief Justice John Roberts and an economics meeting on Thursday.

Television network bureau chiefs also protested the exclusion of video cameras from the second oath of office.

"We're in an awkward phase and there will be bumps in the road," said Christopher Isham, CBS News Washington bureau chief. "Hopefully they will be speed bumps rather than obstacles."

Four reporters witnessed the oath of office and shared their observations with others, and a White House photo was released.

"We think it was done in a way that was upfront and transparent," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said in a briefing when questioned why video cameras were not present.

Pressed on the matter, Gibbs said, "we would have had to get a bigger room."

The Associated Press also questioned on Thursday why reporters were not allowed to use the names of administration officials giving a background briefing on issues regarding the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba.

Background briefings are hardly new in Washington, and were frequently conducted during the Bush and Clinton administrations. But the AP wanted to establish early with the administration that it's important to get information on the record as often as possible, said Michael Oreskes, managing editor for U.S. news.

"Information is a lot more valuable to the public if you know where it's coming from," Oreskes said. "So we try very hard in all source situations to identify sources as fully as we can."

Gibbs did not directly address the issue when asked about it later, saying that "I hope that you all found the exercise that we did the morning helpful."

Ted's pen may be mightier than his words

Plain Dealer Reader Representative Ted Diadiun kicked off his series of weekly chats this week on cleveland.com,. Among the topics Ted addressed in his initial chat was this teaserL

“Will The Plain Dealer merge with The Akron Beacon Journal?’

He has heard nothing about it lately, he says. He then talks about OHNO, the dumb, save money consortium of story sharing by 8 Ohio newspapers.

Click on the headline if you have time to listen to much dullness. Push about three fourths of the way on the progress bar to get to the couple of sentences on the teaser.

We liked Ted a lot better when we did not try to listen to him prattle on and on.

New agencies refuse to use Obama photo

NEW YORK Three news agencies refused to distribute White House-provided photos of President Barack Obama in the Oval Office on Wednesday, arguing that access should have been provided to news photographers.
\
The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse said the White House was breaking with long-standing tradition in not allowing news photographers to capture the president at work in the Oval Office on his first day.

"We are not distributing what are, in effect, visual press releases," said Michael Oreskes, managing editor for U.S. news at the AP.

The news agencies have used White House-provided images in the past for areas in the White House where media access is generally not permitted, such as the Situation Room or the private residence. But they contend that the Oval Office is the public office of the president and photographers should have access rather than rely on a government handout.

"Using these photos would be a major break with established precedent and would compromise the long-held tradition of independent photo coverage of the president and the White House by the major news agencies," said Courtney Dolan, spokeswoman for Thomson Reuters.

There was no immediate reply to e-mail and phone messages left with Obama representatives.
The White House later released a photograph of the president retaking the oath of office with Chief Justice John Roberts, which the AP also rejected.

Vincent Amaluy, director of photography for North and South America for AFP, said he suspected first-day confusion was more at play than an attempt to clamp down on access.

"We are hopeful of negotiating an amicable solution," Oreskes said.

Great links to inaugural coverage

Everyone is blogging these days and it helps us all.

David Hertz, once Beacon Journal business editor and a Metro editor before that, now has a blog at his new home of Dix & Eaton in Cleveland. His blog item today, headlined Inaugural history captured, is important because it provides links to coverage on the inaugural.

Dave reported the information from former BJ copy chief Jim Kavanagh about the immense interest shown by the page hits at CNN and then provided a link to a New York Times story about the web overload that occurred.

Most impressive is the display provided by Poynter Insitute on newspaper front pages and of the national newspaper web pages – far better than BJ Alums could provide,


Here are the links

Newspaper front pages

Web pages

New York Times story

And, of yes, take a look at Hertz’s blog

Hertz’s Inner View blog

800,000 attend Inaugural, satellite images show

An Arizona State University journalism professor using satellite images calculated that 800,000 people attended President Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony.

Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication professor Stephen Doig calculated the official inauguration crowd estimate after analyzing a GeoEye-1 satellite image shot at 11:19 a.m. from a height of 423 miles. GeoEye-1 is a military-controlled satellite.

Doig said the image was taken 40 minutes before Obama’s swearing-in, but adjusted his estimation to include people who were still coming in before the swearing-in.

“The space-based image is fascinating because all the low-level shots make you think the crowd is much larger,” Doig said. “You see the very dense clots of people in front of the Jumbotrons but then the wide open spaces elsewhere.”

Dan Gillmor, director of the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship, said Doig’s involvement in measuring the crowd size is significant.

“Steve is one of the real stars in understanding how data and journalism fit together,” Gillmor said in an e-mail. “So it makes perfect sense for him to be involved with this.”

Gillmor said aerial imagery has become a useful tool when making crowd estimates.

“In the past, we’ve had deliberate over- and under estimating of crowds to fit political agendas,” Gillmor said. “If technology can help us be more accurate, all the better.”

Click on the image to read more.

Front page views ot the Inauguration

New Philadelphia-Dover Times Reporter, Massillon Independent, Youngstown Vindicator

Here are a few of the front pages of Ohio
newspapers on Inauguration of the
44th presidenf of the United States.

You can find others throughout the U.S.
by googling "Front Pages" to go to the
Newseum's site.

But hurry. They will be gone tomorrow.

Click on images to enlarge

Canton Repository, Wooster Daily Record and Dayton Daily News